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Chapter 127: Cars
🕑 Added 2025-06-10 13:00:50 +0000 UTC"By the way, what do you prefer as a birthday present—Porsche 911 or Lexus SC430?"
She had that thoughtful look she wore when picking outfits—or plotting.
"That is a difficult choice," she finally said. "Love Porsche, but Lexus is also good and more useful for day-to-day."
"Why don't you choose the Lexus and ask your dad for the Porsche?" Cher suggested.
"Brilliant idea, Cher," Regina said, turning to me. Then she smiled. "So, a Lexus. If possible, a light pink one."
She leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "Can you make her sign it?"
I understood instantly—she meant Britney. She wanted the car autographed.
I nodded. "Can be done."
"Love you, Jake!" Regina exclaimed and gave me a big hug.
Cher raised an eyebrow. "I want one too."
"Yours is on December 10th, right?" I asked.
Cher nodded.
"Done. Might as well buy them all now," I said with a grin.
Cher hugged the other side of me.
Then Sam chimed in. "How about me?"
"Not a chance. You having a car, Sam, is a burden to society. You might end up running someone over—and not by accident. I don’t want to be the one who made that possible. Choose another present."
Sam thought for a moment. "A year of all-you-can-eat chicken and bacon."
"Done," I said.
"And snacks. Like, a lifetime supply."
"Also done," I replied.
Sam grinned and hugged me from behind.
Now I had Regina on one side, Cher on the other, and Sam wrapped around the back.
Carly and Freddie walked over from the front row. Carly looked at the scene and laughed. "What is this? Jake's hugging day?"
"Yep, come in here," I said, motioning for her to join the group hug.
"Noo," Carly replied playfully, backing up a little.
"I'm buying a car for them," I said, looking at her and Freddie. "What kind of car would you two want?"
They both stared at me, surprised.
"You buying Sam a car?" Carly asked.
"No, better. He will buy me food," Sam replied proudly.
"Thank God," Carly said with mock relief. "I don't want to go see Sam in juvie... again."
Carly chuckled, then added, "But a car..."
"Come on, Carly," I said, half-smiling. "I will buy cars for these two."
"How about a Mini Cooper?" Carly offered with a hopeful grin.
"That’s okay. But I’m buying Lexus SC430s for these two. Mini is much simpler," I pointed out.
"I'm okay with a Mini. I don't need a fancy car," Carly said with a shrug.
I nodded and looked at Freddie, who seemed thoughtful.
"I don't know if my mom will let me drive..." he said uncertainly.
Sam cut in immediately. "Why don’t you grow some—what’s it called—balls?!"
Freddie frowned. "Shut up Sam!"
The two of them started bickering while the rest of us laughed.
Freddie finally shrugged. "Can I think about it? My birthday’s only in February anyway."
I just nodded to him.
The classroom door opened and the teacher walked in. Cher and Regina each gave me a kiss on the cheek and left without a hint of embarrassment.
Still clinging to me from behind, Sam didn’t move.
The teacher gave her a long look and sighed. "Ms. Puckett..."
Sam let go reluctantly and went to her seat.
A moment later, a folded piece of paper landed on my desk. I unfolded it.
Are you buying 4 cars???
I looked over at Pippa, who was staring back at me, wide-eyed.
I tore a piece of paper from my notebook and scribbled back:
Believe me, the most expensive one is Sam’s. I don’t know how, but that girl eats a lot.
Pippa read the note, raised an eyebrow, and gave me a weird look.
I just nodded like it was the most natural thing in the world.
A few moments later, another note reached my desk.
Either way. That is a lot of money...
I wrote back quickly:
I'm the prodigal son.
Lie. But no need to say the truth. If I bought everything today, tomorrow I’d already have more money than I had before buying the gifts. I'm basically printing money...
Lost in Translation, surprisingly, had benefited from the aftermath of the attack. Since many studios decided to postpone their film releases—some even pulling theirs entirely due to the Twin Towers appearing in many scenes—our film, set in Japan, felt distant enough to not remind viewers of the tragedy. In fact, part of the audience simply wanted a temporary escape.
And unlike what happened during COVID, nothing had truly shut down. Cinemas were still open. People still sought entertainment—even if the numbers had dropped and watching at home had become more popular.
Then another note came. The envelope was marked: To Sam, but you can read.
I opened it before passing it along. Inside, it read:
Did you go to juvie prison???
I nudged Sam and handed her the note. She read it, then leaned forward, looking straight at Pippa, and raised a single finger in response (one time).
Pippa couldn’t help herself and whispered, "What did you do?"
But before Sam could answer, the teacher said, "Ms. Fitz-Amobi, could you answer this question?"
Pippa blinked. "Hum?"
I leaned in and whispered, "Four."
"Four," Pippa repeated aloud.
The teacher nodded. "It is correct. Four times."
Pippa looked at me, surprised, but I was already texting on my phone.
A message from Britney popped up: Are you really releasing 5 songs today?
Me: Yes, for my new album.
Britney: But you released one already 2 months ago!!! Shouldn’t you be doing a tour?!
Me: I had another idea.
Britney: What kind of idea?
Me: Not just a show. I'm planning a full two-day festival. Will be named Tomorrowland. 150,000 people each day, full production, global coverage. We'll release everything now to build hype, and that festival will be the ultimate explosion.
Britney: lol, you kidding???
Then another message followed quickly:
Britney: Let me in! Let me in!
Me: You can be part of it, but you need to change the beat of your songs. It’s an EDM (Electronic Dance Music) festival. You can sing my songs or remix yours to fit.
Britney: Why not both?
